View full sizeAP photoJim Thome may never win over all Indians fans for his 2002 departure from the organization, but Bud Shaw believes there should be only cheers if Thome hits No. 600 at Progressive Field.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In Cleveland, there's no statute of limitations on holding a grudge...

Jim Thome brings 598 career home runs to town for a weekend series between the Indians and his Minnesota Twins. When he hits his 600th, Thome will become the eighth player in Major League Baseball history to reach that plateau.

He'll fall in line with other great power hitters whose work was never linked to performance-enhancing drugs, guys like Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Babe Ruth and Ken Griffey Jr. (Sorry, not you, Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez or Sammy Sosa.)

Joining Thome in town Friday night are Robbie Alomar and Bert Blyleven, both recently inducted in the Hall of Fame. That's what's in store for the 40-year-old Thome -- a spot in the Hall. He'll almost assuredly go into Cooperstown in the colors of the team he helped lift to two World Series appearances in the 1990s.

Thome is still paying for the naive comment he made in 2002 that somebody would have to rip his Indians' uniform off his back to get him out of Cleveland. Not the smartest thing to say, seeing the direction attendance and the payroll was bound to go after that perfect storm run at Jacobs Field, and what temptations the Phillies would offer. Some people held that against him even after the Phillies' offer dramatically turned upside down every one of Thome's preconceived notions about the free-agent market.

Some still do nearly 10 years later because this town is unsurpassed in holding sports grudges, as LeBron James IV will discover one day in the distant future.

I know. You pay the money. You can do whatever you want. You could wear your underwear on your head, too. Just know you couldn't look more ridiculous.

In my hometown of Philadelphia, they once pelted Santa Claus with snowballs because, well, because the Eagles were terrible and the Santa in question was skinny, sported an equally unconvincing beard and may even have been inebriated himself. Whenever Thome gets booed by Indians' fans, I feel right at home again.

My guess is a certain number of those people who jeer Thome also rip the Dolans for not paying enough to keep their best players. So they get to have it both ways.

Thome: Too greedy.

Dolans: Too cheap.

That's some beery logic.

Thome and Omar Vizquel are at their core the same guy, except for the circumstances in which they left town. Both should end up in Cooperstwon, proudly identifying themselves as Indians.

What else really matters?

Only Shoeless Joe doesn't think 22 years is a long time...

On Aug. 24, Pete Rose will have been on baseball's black list for 22 years. Despite his eventual admission that he bet on baseball, Rose seems no closer to reinstatement.

His years of ridiculous denial didn't help. Neither did his rather mercenary admission of guilt in 2003 (he had a book coming out). It remains a complicated issue for a thousand reasons, including Rose's desire to manage. Can you reinstate him and still keep him out of the dugout where he abused his position by making calls to his bookie a routine part of his pre-game preparation?

As a voter, I'm trusted to decide on the candidacies of players linked to steroids. But baseball doesn't trust me to decide on Rose. Maybe because if Rose were on the ballot I'd vote him in for what he did as a player.

A Hall of Fame, after all, is a museum. Not a shrine.

SPINOFFS

Bodog lists the over-under on wins for the Browns at 6.5. The rest of the division: Steelers and Ravens at 10.5, Bengals at 5.5. For amusement purposes only -- if another losing season can qualify as amusing -- I'd bet the under across the board...

Betfair, another gambling site, is using smartphone scannable bar codes in an advertising campaign? Where? If you guessed on the rear ends of Britain's female beach volleyball champs, you didn't read last week's complaint by the two players -- Zara Dampney and Shauna Mullin -- that Brits treated them like sex objects instead of star athletes.

Way to show 'em, ladies...

The Detroit Lions lost rookie running back Mikel Leshoure to injury, then signed two former Browns' running backs involved in a trade for each other in 2010 -- Mike Bell and Jerome Harrison -- presumably because Ben Gay was not available...

View full sizeAP photoThis young Indian is helping his team stay in the spotlight of a pennant race.

Marcus Benard gained weight because he thought that's what the Browns wanted? That's his story and he's sticking to it like a large cinnamon roll to a sportswriter's fingers...

Chad Ochocinco says he will choose a Patriots fan to live with for a few weeks this season until he gets settled and knows his way around. Asked if he were serious, Ochocinco said, "Have I ever lied to you before?"

No, not since two weeks ago when he said he was going to do things "the Patriot Way"...

"I'm a little upset about what some of them said because they have no idea what I've been through," caddie Steve Williams after some PGA players criticized him for shining the spotlight away from Adam Scott's win at Firestone.

Every five minutes, Williams is haunted by his firing after making $9 million or so carrying Tiger Woods' bag. When will somebody do the right thing and hold a telethon for this man?

YOU SAID IT

(The Expanded Midweek Edition)

"Bud:

"I have attempted to find the root cause of the Bullpen Mafia's recent implosion. Has there been any sightings of an Elliot Ness look-alike at Progressive Field?" -- Dr. Grinder

No, but I believe I saw Eliot Spitzer on a street corner.

"Bud:

"Do you get paid as much for not writing 'You Said It' as Butch Davis gets paid for not coaching football?" -- Chuck Levin

My gut feeling, along with my paycheck, tells me I get much less.

"Bud:

"If the world was coming to a end, would ESPN show N.Y. vs. Boston or Boston vs. N.Y. for its final broadcast?" -- Jack Schmidt

Who cares? The good news is either one would take an eternity.

"Bud:

"Isn't the Browns losing a vital part of their offense like the punter just as bad as the Colts losing Peyton Manning?" -- Mark

Since Reggie Hodges also had the longest run from scrimmage, it's like losing Manning and Joseph Addai.

"Bud:

"Do you think when the Indians' front office traded Cy Young winner CC Sabathia they ever considered how much the Tribe would miss his bat?" -- Chas K (END ITAL)First-time "You Said It" winners receive a T-shirt from the Mental Floss collection.

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